1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to conveyor systems and, more particularly, to gravity and powered over/under line feed systems for handling containers, and in particular, collapsible plastic containers.
2. Description of the Currently Available Technology
An ongoing need in industrial applications which utilize a production line is to provide an efficient and inexpensive way of delivering parts to the production line. Production lines, as for example in the automobile industry, require a large number of individual parts to be delivered to the line. Automated over/under line feed systems have been developed to maximize assembly line parts handling efficiency. These automated over/under line feed systems provide an uninterrupted flow of parts carried in containers or racks. The exact dimensions of the over/under line feed system depend on the size and quantity of the parts to be carried. The individual workers on the line must take each part from the delivered container or rack and install it in the work product in progress, as for example, a car.
An over/under line feed system generally includes a lower conveyor positioned below an upper conveyor. An elevator may be located at one end of the line feed system and defines a workstation for the line feed system operator. Controls are typically located at the operator workstation to control operation of the line feed system, such as conveyor speed, elevator position, etc. However, in general, known over/under line feed systems do not provide adequate workstations for current state-of-the-art container configurations, as for example collapsible plastic containers. Known over/under line feed systems typically provide workstations which move only between the upper and lower conveyors, making the containers difficult to access by the operator. One solution to this problem has been the use of powered tilt tables which can mechanically deliver parts carrying containers to the production line and return them to the parts supply area. However, these devices are awkward to use because they invade the work space of the operator.
A need exists to provide an over/under line feed system for handling containers and, in particular, collapsible plastic containers, which can be utilized to efficiently deliver production parts to a production line. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a workstation with a carriage assembly which is movable between a raised position and a lowered position and which can tilt forwards and backwards relative to the operator of the workstation without significantly invading the work space of the operator of the workstation.